Anthony Joshua’s either trying something new, or that good Texas barbecue is a new friend of his from training camp, because the former heavyweight titlist came in at a career-high weight for Saturday’s fight with Jermaine Franklin.
Joshua weighed in at 255¼, just a little over his previous heaviest weigh-in number of 254, when he faced Carlos Takam back in 2017. Once Joshua’s body really got where he wanted it to be probably around 2015, when he hit 245 for the first time, he’s been between 240 and 248 or so for most fights, with a notable exception of a trimmed-down 237 for his 2019 rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr.
Franklin weighed in at 234¾, down over 22 lbs from his November weight of 257 against Dillian Whyte, and down over 40 lbs from his May 2022 weight when he fought Rodney Moore in Indiana, which was his first fight since 2019.
But Franklin’s weight is pretty well in line with what he weighed for fights earlier in his career, before he was out of action between Oct. 2019 and that May 2022 return. He spoke earlier this week about changing his diet and eating habits and getting in better shape, and he looks like he’s back to where he wants to be.
Bad Left Hook will have live coverage for Joshua vs Franklin tomorrow, starting at 1 pm ET, with the fights streaming live on DAZN.